Too Late
by wikelia
Summary: She never approached him when she had the chance, so it should not surprise her that he fell for someone else. But why was that someone else her again?


All three of them hear him asking Heather to write.

And that is a punch to her gut, right there.

Because she thought that he loved her. He should be asking her to write to him while he's away, not Heather. Of course, her raven haired friend agrees cheerily, and Astrid thinks that maybe Heather doesn't even know how much Hiccup likes her.

She doesn't say goodbye to him.

She cries that day, for the first time in years.

Her mother frets, her father cracks jokes, and her little sister pouts. Little Ava is the only one she tells, because how could her sister even begin to understand what she was feeling, let alone spread the word that Astrid Hofferson was pining over a boy?

A boy who no longer has interest in her.

* * *

Really, Astrid fumes, this request is too much.

Of course Heather is aware of dragon boy's interest in her. She doesn't deny him. She confesses that she harbors the same feelings.

Astrid wants to be mad at her, but Heather is too sweet to be mad at.

But this request is too much for her to handle.

Heather wants her to write instead.

To spell it out more eloquently, Heather is too nervous, so she asks Astrid to write to the boy she likes while he is away. The boy who Heather does not know is the object of Astrid's affections too.

She can't do it, she reasons, he is probably the type to be loving and wonderful with his words, and she'd only be breaking her own heart by pretending to be Heather.

She says no, she won't do it.

But one letter couldn't hurt.

* * *

 _Dear Hiccup_ ** _,_**

 _How are the Peacables? I know you must miss the dragons, and Toothless certainly misses you. Astrid takes him flying sometimes, with the other tail. He pines for you._

 _I hope you're not wreaking havoc there. I know you - and that is probably exactly what you are doing. It's one of the reasons you're so endearing - you never like sitting still. Causing chaos is like a duty._

 _I could use some chaos._

 _Come back soon, Hiccup, please. I miss you, Toothless misses you, and Astrid misses you. The entire island misses you and your smile and your sweet ability to make everything better. Come home._

 _Sincerely, Heather_

* * *

She cannot bring herself to write "love" so she writes "sincerely." Heather has admitted that it is not love she feels.

Astrid has admitted it, in the night, when no one is listening.

She feels guilty for not checking with Heather first to see if she approves of the letter. Sneaky takes the scroll away, and Astrid thinks about how ridiculous she sounds to ask him to come back. He has to be there for half a year.

The guilt evaporates when Heather does not ask about it. Hiccup slips from her friend's mind as she gets more involved in Berk, enjoying her new home.

So when Sneaky comes back, she does not get Heather. She opens the scroll and reads it.

It is her Terror, after all.

It is her letter he is responding to.

It is her dragon boy.

* * *

 _Dear Heather,_

 _You are right, I am wreaking havoc for sure. Just yesterday, I knocked over a basket of fish and now half the fishermen want to murder me._

 _But aside from that, the island is very bright and friendly. It is enjoyable here, although I long for home._

 _Tell Toothless I love him and miss him too. We are talking to the Peaceable chief about the dragons - but I won't bore you with the details of that._

 _I wish I could come back. But since I cannot, why don't we make it so that when I do come back, we know each other at a new level? There is so much I want to know about you._

 _What is your favorite dragon, after a Razorwhip, of course? How are you adjusting on Berk? And what is your favorite color? I am thinking of making another axe for you, kind of like Astrid's, and I knew her favorite color was blue, so I designed it to compliment the shade of blue in her eyes._

 _Smithing and riding seem to be the only things I am good at. Thor knows these tribe meetings aren't my calling._

 _Sincerely, Hiccup_

* * *

Astrid wants to cry, but does not. Her lip quivers, but it does not go beyond that. Her fingers curl around the paper as she clutches it tightly.

She never knew he had made her axe.

She lays down, pressing the letter close to her heart. He was so sweet, so thoughtful, so caring. Why had she never seen that when he had liked her? Why did she never sit down and try to get to know him?

She was a fool, that was why.

* * *

 _Dear Hiccup,_

 _You are good at plenty of things. Smithing and dragon riding are no easy things to do, you know._

 _My favorite dragon after a Razorwhip, would have to be a Deadly Nadder. Stormfly and I had quite the connection, after all._

 _Berk is wonderful, I could only adjust to it nicely. Everyone here is so friendly, and the other riders are always ready to help me._

 _As for my favorite color...it may have been blue just like Astrid's, but now I see it's green. Your eyes may or may not have something to do with the change of heart._

 _What is your favorite color? Tell me about your childhood as well, I want to hear about it._

 _I do wish you could come home, but I know that you have a duty. As do I. Just know that I'm waiting._

 _Sincerely, Heather_

* * *

 _Dear Heather,_

 _My favorite color is blue too. It seems funny that you, Astrid, and I all have the same favorite. Well, at least before yours changed to green. Thank you for the compliment, by the way. My eyes are flattered._

 _That was a joke. Or an attempt at one, anyway. I'm not good at making jokes. I'm not much good at a lot, no matter how much you say otherwise._

 _It was why my childhood wasn't so wonderful. I was not good at fighting dragons, and I was picked on. Snotlout was the worst. He has calmed down a lot since then._

 _Astrid never did anything. She didn't harass me, but she never helped either. I don't blame her, and I hope it doesn't sound like that. She has become a very close friend since then. I actually had a crush on her before, but it was clear she did not return those feelings, so I moved on._

 _Sometimes I wish she did like me back then. Maybe she would have stood up for me. And if the best shield maiden and the most beautiful girl on the island was vouching for me, what could anyone else say?_

 _Sincerely, Hiccup_

* * *

Perhaps he knows it is her. Is that why he tortures her so purely, so smoothly?

She had been right, she realizes, weeks later, his words only make her fall for him more.

Heather does not even seem to remember that he asked her to write.

But Hiccup says clearly that he no longer holds feelings for Astrid. And while that hurts like nothing else, she cannot change his feelings.

And even if Heather does not put the best effort into it, she is still interested in Hiccup. And she took an interest in him from the beginning.

Unlike Astrid.

The letters go on for ages, and it is like a splash to the face when she realizes he is coming home in a day. At the same day, his letter arrives, his last letter. Astrid savors it, holding it tightly before opening it and reading.

She wishes she hadn't.

* * *

 _Dear Heather,_

 _I am certainly not joking, it is completely true. The twins really did cut off my father's beard, and he was not happy, to say the least. We are still not allowed to bring it up._

 _I must say, these past few months would have been unbearable if not for you letters. I love them._

 _And I think I love you._

 _Please don't freak out. I have not felt this way for long, and my intentions are innocent._

 _I just...with every letter I fall in love with you more. You are so different than what I'd thought, and I love this side of you I never knew. I asked you to write because I liked you, now I write to you because you've gotten me to fall in love with you._

 _You're spunky. You're funny. You must be the most supporting person I've met. I love you._

 _I love you, Heather._

 _Sincerely, Hiccup_

* * *

Her heart had swelled with each word. Hiccup was in love with her.

But now it crashes down, because he says he loves Heather. Over the past few months, she has forgotten that he does not know who he is speaking with.

Oh Thor.

This was awful.

She had been playing Heather and Hiccup alike. Hiccup is going to ask Heather about the letters, and Heather is going to tell him she never sent them. They will both realize what she has done and they will both hate her.

Astrid bites back a sob. She's horrible. What has she done?

What has she done?

* * *

When the boat docks, everyone is there. Heather turns to her with a sheepish smile.

"I completely forgot to write to him."

Astrid's fists clench, but she does not respond, fearing that she will only make things worse. Her words are not to be trusted, she's mucked so much up with them.

And even knowing she's hurt two of her best friends, she is still feeling selfish. Selfishly happy, while minor, that Hiccup is in love with her. Not Heather. Her dragon boy loves her like she loves him.

When Hiccup steps out, she stays back and watches as Heather runs forward and embraces him tightly. Hiccup's eyes light up so brightly, that Astrid's head hurts, because she knows that he thinks this is her way of saying she loves him too.

It is much too late to go back now.


End file.
